Founded in 2005, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild exists for discussions of and creative fanworks based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion and related texts. We are a positive-focused and open-minded space that welcomes fans from all over the world and with all levels of experience with Tolkien's works. Whether you are picking up Tolkien's books for the first time or have been a fan for decades, we welcome you to join us!
Character of the Month: Marach There are few details in the texts about Marach, but he is noteworthy for his allegiances and his descendants, who would become pivotal to the history of Middle-earth and the eventual defeat of Morgoth and Sauron.
New Challenge: Allusive Literature and art constantly refer back to each other using allusions, and this month's prompts are inspired by allusions to literature, myth, art, and history.
New Challenge: Building Middle-earth Let global architecture be your inspiration in this challenge, where you will work with a prompts that are architectural styles, locations in Arda, or both.
When uneasy dreams bring him back into Beleriand, Daeron finds a pair of twins who have lost their home, and an enemy who has lost himself. The Shadow's reach is growing ever longer, and if they are to survive, they must do it together.
Rescued from a brutal Angband hunt, an ex-thrall with a strange and powerful artifact embedded in his spine is brought to Himring, for it is one of the only places in Beleriand which welcomes such folk. Though he has no memories of his life before, Anniavas slowly becomes accustomed to his new…
Fëanor shrugged, studying the contents of his wine glass. “Something must be done about that house. It will fall down eventually.” “It does not follow that it must be you that tears it down single-handedly. Are you sure you do not want help?” “It’s not as though I…
Of course, she knew that in the Blessed Land, true harm was unlikely to come to him. The Valar watched over them all, and the lesser spirits were everywhere. It was a great hound of Oromë who had found him happily splashing in the creek, in fact. But anyone could drown in mere…
Across three surveys and ten years, the Tolkien Fanfiction Survey has document when authors began writing. These data reveal trends in how film promotions, the films themselves, the books, and other historical contexts have influenced not only who writes but how long they stay.
There are few details in the texts about Marach, but he is noteworthy for his allegiances and his descendants, who would become pivotal to the history of Middle-earth and the eventual defeat of Morgoth and Sauron.
A dissenting voice in Marach's alliance with the Elves of Beleriand, Amlach experiences a change of mind after a mysterious twist in the story reorients his priorities toward enmity with Morgoth.
Bilbo, the strange old hobbit with the wandering feet, senses something special in young Frodo the first time he sees the lad; as they become close, they find in each other a cameraderie not well understood by other hobbits. Five poignant moments between Bilbo and Frodo Baggins over the course…
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Ooohhh man these were all fantastic! (Eagle just ... oof, straight to the heart! And Oyster, such a gorgeous description! Horse omg 😭 Bear was gorgeous!! Wolf captured the moment so perfectly!)
But Dog really got me thinking!! Huan was only gifted the ability of "human" (or rather, Elvish more like) speech three times. But Celegorm could speak dog! He spoke the language of all animals and birds! Now I am absolutely imagining that they had wild discourse on all manner of topics. I bet Huan made dog-jokes that Celegorm didn't understand 😂
Thank you! Eagle is my personal favorite. I like a Thorondor who takes matters into his own talons (my anti-Valar tendencies are showing...). But yeah, you caught me on Huan. I could have written them having those conversations, but it's so much angstier this way. So assume for the purposes of this fic that "knowing the language of beasts" just means excellent veterinarian-level sensitivity to animal moods and behavior, not actual speech 😉.
Oh I'm sorry I absolutely did not mean it as a criticism or a 'gotcha' or anything. I loved that part and the way you approached it. It just got me thinking was all
Oh, I didn't take it as a gotcha! Just an interpretive choice. I'm glad you enjoyed these, and that they got you thinking. Now I kind of want to write the other version. Imagine Huan's continuum of playfulness to exasperation to puzzlement to disgust to despair! Lecturing away like another dad and being roundly dismissed. Woof!
What a lovely mix, and very in keeping with the Bestiary theme! (And the oysters feels timely - I just had a conversation with bunn about them yesterday.)
I love how each stands beautifully compact and complete to itself, and together the progression builds a kind of impressionistic view of the Silmarillion as a whole, with the Bears as a lovely epilogue.
Thanks very much! I enjoyed crafting something a little more structured and formal than my usual ficlets. I'm glad to hear that the individual pieces and the progression worked for you.
Comments on All Manner of Beasts and Birds
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.